Keauna McLaughlin

Don't let the smile and flamboyant costumes fool you -- Johnny Weir is no pushover. The 'Skating With the Stars' judge feels that skaters -- even of the aspiring/celebrity kind -- need to perform even when they're injured.

Brandon Mychal Smith ('Sonny With a Chance'), who's competing on the ABC reality competition series, was shown on Monday's episode being taken away on a stretcher in an ambulance. Footage of what appeared to be him vomiting was blurred out. On a doctor's advice, he did not perform. He and partner Keauna McLaughlin were judged on a taped rehearsal.

During the judges' critique, Weir wished Smith a speedy recovery, but also chastised him for not showing up to give it the old college try.

In skating, the men have to lift their female partners, which begs the question: the female celebrities have an advantage in 'SWTS' over their male competitors?

"It's definitely a slight edge," judge Johnny Weir, a U.S Championship skater, acknowledged to TV Squad after the premiere. "But [female celebrities] have to back that up. They have someone who can carry them around for 10 seconds, but they can't look like a rock when they're set down. You have to be able to stand on your own two blades."